Roslyn Robinson, right, posts a missing poster of her baby niece Daphne Webb, as family members gather at the spot where she was last time seen on 79th Avenue and International Boulevard in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013. Daphne's father, John Anthony Webb, reported her disappearance from his SUV on July 10, 2013. Today marks her second birthday. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)

OAKLAND -- As the of family 2-year-old Daphne Webb, who went missing one year ago Thursday, marked the anniversary of her disappearance, police confirmed that they had submitted their case to prosecutors -- though officials did not reveal who they believed had taken the girl.

Daphne's relatives are still holding out hope for finding out what happened to her although her father, John Webb -- the only person of interest in her disappearance -- committed suicide two months ago.

Oakland police said Thursday that they no longer have the missing-persons case, meaning no more police resources will be used to search for the girl or her body. Police spokeswoman Officer Johnna Watson confirmed that the case has been referred to the Alameda County District Attorney's Office. The District Attorney's Office is the only entity that can declare the case closed in the event of a suspect's death.

Daphne Webb (Family photo via Oakland Police Department)

Watson declined to elaborate or specify if John Webb was the subject referred to the district attorney for investigation. Representatives from the District Attorney's Office did not return calls for comment Thursday.

It was not immediately clear if prosecutors could posthumously charge John Webb as a procedural step in order to close the case. John Webb was found dead in his Greenridge Drive home on May 2 by an adult daughter, and relatives later said he took his own life.

"We believe there are events that will help us come to some conclusion," Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley told television station NBC Bay Area on Thursday. "I don't believe (Webb's) death put an end to the case. I believe his death is a factor, but (the investigation) didn't stop with his death."

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On July 10, 2013, John Webb, reported to police that his daughter, Daphne Viola Webb, who was 21 months old at the time, had gone missing just after 11 a.m. He told police that he left the girl with his 87-year-old mother, who has dementia, in his black Ford SUV while he purchased an energy drink at a convenience store at 79th Avenue and International Boulevard. When he returned, he said, she was gone.

On Thursday evening, at 79th and International, the same place where police dogs searched for her scent one year ago, about 40 relatives and supporters gathered in remembrance of the girl. Daphne's mother, Kiana Davis-Webb, sang a song for her daughter but did not address the crowd.

Davis-Webb's father, Kevin Davis, praised her resolve at the rally.

"My daughter is one of the strongest women I know," Davis said. "She has defined strong to me.

"There are things she has been through that would have torn down the average person. She is going to stay strong if I have anything to do with it."

Asked later if he believed Webb had anything to do with Daphne's disappearance, Davis said:

"I believe it, but I can't prove it. ... We don't have any idea. That was a beautiful baby."

John Webb was the only person of interest ever named in the Oakland police missing persons case. He was arrested the day after the girl went missing on suspicion of felony child endangerment, but prosecutors declined to file charges, and he was released from jail.

In the weeks after the girl went missing, police and teams of volunteers with search dogs combed various locations around the East Bay, including the area around John Webb's Oakland home, parks, trails and the Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline, near Oakland International Airport, but her body was never found. John Webb didn't attend the searches.

The Alameda County coroner's office has not confirmed a cause of death for John Webb pending results of toxicology tests, but authorities have said he overdosed -- either accidentally or on purpose -- on prescription pills. An autopsy showed no signs of trauma to the body, and police said there was no evidence of foul play.

John Webb had custody of Daphne at the time of her disappearance because the child's mother was living in a rehabilitation home in Oakland. Police have never named her as a person of interest or suspect.

A reward of up to $20,000 has been offered for information leading to an arrest in the disappearance. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Oakland Police Department Missing Persons Unit at 510-238-3641.